


Teachings of the Temple

by Shadaras



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic (Video Games), Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Excerpts from In-World Documents, Gen, Speeches, Stories and Folklore, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23118394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadaras/pseuds/Shadaras
Summary: Five stories told by Jedi, from their founding to their future.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 16
Collections: Worldbuilding Exchange 2020





	Teachings of the Temple

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skatzaa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skatzaa/gifts).



_1: Excerpts from “The Fundament”, a text written by a Jedi known only as the Philosopher-Scribe near the founding of the Jedi Order (est. 12,000 BBY)._

A person who accounts themselves a _Jedi_ is stating that they (1) perceive the world in a particular way—in a fashion that attunes to the innermost life and vigor of all animate life, and touches even the steadfast existence of inanimate objects through their innate connection to the universe—and (2) believe in a philosophy that venerates life in all its forms.

The second axiom follows obviously from the first: A being who is able to sense the joys and pains of others must respect their truths and their desire to act upon those truths. Miraluka, Verpine, Talz, Clawdite, Iktotchi—no matter the person, or the culture they come from, all may come together in harmony with the universal power of life.

[...]

This force which binds us all together is central to our philosophy. We must act in service of life, and in defense of harmonious community. We are not warriors, nor politicians; we are scholars and healers. We may choose to center our work in one community, or wander between planets as our hearts compel us, guided by the universe’s fundament and the bonds that exist between all life.

The desire to study and learn must be balanced with the desire to act. We cannot act thoughtlessly; in that direction lives a predilection towards chaos and the severing of bonds. Nor can we remain in deep study at all times; in that way lies stagnation and entropy.

Finding this balance is the practice of a lifetime. Seek harmony, and listen to the fundamental forces of the universe; they will help guide you true.

_2: A recording showing Deesra Luur Jada, a Twi’lek Knight of the Dantooine Jedi Enclave, speaking to a class of Jedi Initiates. Estimated time of recording: During the Second Sith War (3959-6 BBY)._

You are learning the ways of the Force during a period of conflict, and I am sorry. We are not meant to be soldiers; nor is our community supposed to be split in this way. Our lessons are meant to defuse conflict and bring harmony.

But that is a teaching for another day. Today, I wish to tell you a story from my homeworld, Ryloth. Listen well:

In the time of freedom, when we could walk beneath the moons in wonder, there lived a pair of twins.

They were curious, and loved asking questions. The elder loved asking questions about what things where, how they had become that way, and what they were doing. The younger loved asking questions about how things felt, what they desired, and how to understand them.

One day, their grandmother took them to a special place. She told them nothing about it before, just smiling and asking them to follow her through the caves. The twins were enchanted, and followed eagerly.

When they emerged, both of them stared in awe, voices quiet as they rarely were. They saw rocks floating on the wind, shining in the sunlight.

The elder twin first asked, “Grandmother, is it like this all the time? Or is it only at certain times or day, or certain points of the year?”

The younger twin first asked, “Grandmother, is this place special to everyone in our clan, or is it a place you’ve kept close to your heart?”

Which twin do you think appreciated the floating rocks more?

_3: Excerpt from “Your Lightsaber, Your Life”, a Learner’s Text from the early High Republic (~230-200 BBY)._

A Jedi creates a lightsaber as an example of their skill with the Force. It represents all that the Jedi has learned during their time as an Initiate. It is a symbol, and a promise: This power that we all hold has been honed into a tool that we may use, but only when necessary, and only in service of Light.

Lightsabers are deceptively simple devices. There’s a casing—custom-made, often changed by Jedi as they grow and their hands broaden or their style changes. Within that casing is a power source, usually a standard compact battery with a long and energy-efficient life. At the mouth of the casing is an emitter matrix, housed in an emitter shroud. The circuitry connecting them, while delicate, is not complex.

The important element of a lightsaber is the crystal.

We call your lightsaber a symbol of your life within the temple because of the kyber crystals. These Force-sensitive crystals attune to Force-sensitive individuals, and resonate with the energy you produce by the simple act of living. Two Jedi may have identical lightsaber casings and still be able to easily and automatically grasp the one that belongs to them because of this intrinsic affiliation.

When you venture into a kyber cave in search of the crystal that calls to you, there will be challenges. You must open yourself to the crystals, and they will dive into the depths of your soul to find your flaws, for they must align with those of your crystal.

It will be difficult, but you will make it through. Then, you will shine brightly, your soul turned to light in the lightsaber’s form.

_4: “The Foundations”, a story told by a Sullustan Jedi Youngling during the last days of the Old Republic (~30-20 BBY)._

The Jedi Temple doesn’t touch the ground.

Not because it doesn’t want to; it would love to touch the ground, because the ground—most places where there is ground, anyway—is where life comes from. But we’re on Coruscant, so there’s not really any ground left; it all got mined away, so the Temple can’t touch it.

What are we built on instead?

Well, have you ever gone down to the lowest levels of the Temple? I know, it’s spooky down there, and Master Nu doesn’t like it when we sneak into the locked archives, but if you’re careful it’s still possible to get down to sublayer 47. Which, also, why is it sublayer 47? There are thousands of levels to Coruscant; 47 isn’t really that deep into the understory.

Anyway! I got to the lowest sublayer that’s on the maps, and you know what I saw there?

I saw another door, leading further down.

So I opened it, of course. It was hard; it had a Force-lock, so I had to really concentrate to get it open. Once I went inside, it was pitch-black, so I’m really glad that I can see in the dark. Carefully, I closed the door behind me—yes, I kept it propped open a little, but that’s not as good a story, is it?—and ventured further in.

I descended a dusty spiral staircase, keeping a tight grip on the rail. It was well-made, and while it was rickety it didn’t seem rusted through; whatever this was, it was kept preserved. There were boxes, I think full of old physical records, lining the walls as I descended.

But the thing that made me turn around was when I went down a little too quickly and stumbled. I touched the wall, then, and froze, because the Force pulsed through me. I felt the wall a little more carefully, not wanting my first impulse to be true.

That second touch just affirmed my response: The Temple’s foundations are alive. They’re giant bones. I didn’t see how far down they went, because I wanted to just run away from that, and so I did, but I think that the Temple is built on the planet’s bones, letting the life-energy swirl up from the core and to our Temple, trying to keep us connected in the only way we know how, growing up and up as people built the city higher and higher from the soil.

_5: “What We Are, What We Aren’t”, a speech given by Rey Skywalker in 40 ABY._

The Jedi were an order of peacekeepers known throughout the galaxy, defenders of civilization and theoretically apolitical mediators. They existed for thousands of generations.

There are no more Jedi. The last Jedi died during the Resistance’s fight with the First Order.

That doesn’t mean we lack peacekeepers, defenders, and mediators. There are plenty of those to go around; just ask any senator, and I’m sure they’d be happy to tell you about the private groups they can call on. We’ve got plenty of people who want to help keep the peace and make sure people don’t get hurt. We’ve never lacked for that; the problem was what people thought of when they said _peace_ or what they thought of as _people not getting hurt_.

So there aren’t any more Jedi, because the Jedi were devoted to a particular way of thinking about peace and keeping people safe that I don’t think is relevant anymore.

I’ve read the old scriptures. Luke kept them—or, well, copies of them. The first Jedi were a travelling order of scholars. I’m not sure when they started being called Jedi, even, but I’m pretty sure it’s a word that used to mean something, probably about what the Jedi wore or carried with them. I don’t think they called themselves that, at first. I think the people called them that, and they shrugged and let them, because it was a useful identifier.

But there are so many other traditions of Force-users out there. The Guardians of the Whills on Jedha. The Dathomiri Nightsisters. The Baran Do. The Fallanassi. Probably at least a dozen more traditions I haven’t heard of because the Empire actually did wipe them out, and another thousand more from before the Empire’s time at all.

We aren’t the Jedi. Our mandate isn’t to guard and serve the Republic.

Our goal is to walk among the people and _help them_. We can’t do that by staying in a temple, isolated from the world. We can only do that by exploring, by examining the world, by asking questions, and by using our hearts.

Sometimes we might mess up, and that’s okay. Try to fix it when you fuck up, try not to make anything explode too much, and—well, just do your best. Try and make your best get better over time, learn new things, and experiment.

We aren’t the Jedi, because I can’t teach you a tradition I didn’t learn and that I don’t know if I really believe in.

What we are is Skywalkers. It’s a name that we can take back to its roots, use to talk about what we’re really doing: Walking—rolling, flying, swimming; _moving_ , in whatever way works best.

Do your best, kids; you’re gonna do so much better than you think.


End file.
